The Beginning of a New Era

June 11 heralded a new beginning with the start of the African WC 2010 FIFA World Cup. It was the first time that the African continent was playing host to the entire world and on such a massive scale. The challenges ranged from funding issues to terrorist or internal threats. The South African nation is probably one of the most developed nations of the continent and responded well. A total of 6 African nations qualified for the main tournament viz. Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Algeria and Cote d’Ivoire. It was sad to see only one of them qualify but, I’m happy that the lone African side, Ghana almost went all the way but, had to concede defeat on account of the most talked about handball in football history. The closing ceremony was quite well organized but, I feel that it was better for viewing on TV than the actual live version on account of laser shows and images which were brought to life on television.
There was a huge amount of cynicism at the start of the World Cup regarding security arrangements and infrastructure management in SA but, they were able to meet the expectations of the world, if not necessarily surpass them. The football grounds were not world class and you could not see the grass turf being uprooted during slide tackles and naked mud exposed. This is not expected from a world class arena but nonetheless, it was still acceptable for the routine matches. Nature played truant but, things were really bad in just one or two matches most memorable to me being URU vs SKOR where heavy rains allowed Koreans to dominate play through small passes but were undone by a Suarez goal in the last minutes of the game.
South Africa, in recent times, has showcased their ability to hold international events such as IPL. Such events have also boosted the tourism industry and overall business environment. Who would have thought that the ‘Vuvuzela’ will have such a strong impact that it will lead to a ban on its use during imposed in Wimbledon (Poor English, the so called golden generation embarrassed themselves on world stage yet again…). There were quite a few African players from other countries who have made their mark on world football such Drogba (Cote D’Ivoire), Toure brothers (Cote D’Ivoire), Assou - Ekotu (Cameroon), Eto (Cameroon) and others. This also allowed us to realize the kind of talent that is surfacing from the African continent and their ability to adapt and play in foreign leagues across the world. The European continent regulars failed to impress but, Netherlands, Germany and Spain lived up to their reputation. My heart goes out to Germany who have made to the semi finals seven times and have almost lifted the Cup in the last three world cup competitions. The Brazilians showed poor temperament and were only impressive against lesser known teams. Their flair and composure was totally broken down by the Dutch and they have only themselves to blame. The English were lucky to win the Cup in 1966 and that’s the first and last time, they will ever get to touch the Cup (India in Cricket and England in Football, same story!!!) It was good fun tracking the entire competition for the month and even though, the team I logically thought would win the Cup actually did win it, I would have still wished for an underdog to take to the mantle…. Well, may be the Brazilian Samba will re – create the magic in 2014… Congratulations to Spain and my respects to the Dutch, well fought and till 2014….. the Beautiful Game lives on !!!!